Items seized from car boot sale given to charity

The 675 items seized were donated to Care Zone in Peterborough

Hundreds of suspected stolen items totalling £10,000 that were seized from a car boot sale have been donated to charity.

The items were removed from Wellington car boot sale in Peterborough following an operation by the city council and police.

They were donated to Care Zone - a city charity that helps vulnerable families access household goods and furniture.

Insp Sam Tucker, at Cambridgeshire Police, said many thousands of pounds worth of suspected stolen goods had been seized across the city centre in recent times, as police look to clamp down on shoplifting.

Items surrendered or abandoned at the car boot sale included confectionery, cosmetics, laundry detergents, sanitary and bathroom products.

Alison Jones, Labour cabinet member for housing and communities at the council, said she was "delighted" the items could benefit families in need.

"The operation demonstrated our commitment to zero tolerance for rogue traders and the disadvantages they place on local legitimate businesses," she said.

Mr Tucker said the neighbourhood policing team would continue to regularly patrol the area and work with businesses to identify offenders and "put them before the courts".